Bio

Mike Oehlke is entering his Ninth Season as Head Coach of the NDSCS Wildcats.

The 2025 season ended with the Cats winning their second National Championship.  Along the way the Wildcats won the Region and District for the Fifth straight year. They finished with 54 wins and a second consecutive Conference Championship.  The Wildcats had a clean sweep with the National Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, Catcher of the Year and New Balance Golden Shoe Award winner.  They also led the Nation in hits, RBI’s, stolen bases, ERA, strikeouts, and WHIP.

2024 Season the Wildcats finished Runner up in the World Series with a loss in the 10^th inning of the Championship game in Chattanooga, TN.  It was a record-breaking year with 55 wins on the Season.  The Wildcats were Region and District champions.  They also won the Mon-Dak Conference as well as had the Conference MVP for the third straight season, as well as the Most Valuable Pitcher and Coach of the Year.  The Wildcats led the Nation in every major offensive and pitching stat.  They had the National Player and Catcher of the Year, Avery Martin. 

The 2023 team won the National Championship which was held in Syracuse, NY.  The 2023 Cats finished with a 36-14 record.  They were 12-1 against D3 competition. (33-5 over the last 3 seasons) The Wildcats had the Conference MVP for the second straight year and had 10 players make All-Academic team.  The Wildcat pitchers led the Nation in Strikeouts and the team finished second in HR’s.  They won the Region XIII Championship for the Third straight season and had two All-Americans.  They were also invited to the NFCA Juco Lead Off Classic in Columbus, GA. 

2022’s team finished the season Fourth in the Nation with a 39-12 record.  During the season they won the Region XIII championship and finished second in the Mon-Dak conference by one loss.  The team led the Nation in stolen bases and strikeouts by their pitchers.  They had the Conference MVP along with 12 players named to the All-Academic team.  They set the new school record for wins. 

 2021’s team finished the season Fifth in the Nation with a 32-23 record.  Along the way they won the Region XIII championship for the second time in school history and took Third in the Mon-Dak Conference.  The 2021 team set the then school record for wins with 32 and home runs with 73. 

The 2020 team started the season at 6-0 before being shut down with covid.

The 2019 team finished with a 21-20 record and had Two All-Conference players.

The 2018 team finished Third in the Nation as well as had the Conference MVP, and the Conference leader in HRs, RBI, Batting Ave., SB’s and pitching Wins and Strikeouts.  The team led the Nation in Stolen Bases along with having the New Balance Golden Spikes winner, (Bekah Ludden) for 2018. 

2017 was Coach Oehlke’s first season, the team finished with a 4-29 record.

 He has coached Eighteen All Americans, 21 All-Region and 26 All-Conference players in Eight seasons.  He has had 7 Conference MVPs, Seven Rawlings Gold Glove winners and The National Player, Catcher and Pitcher of the Year numerous times.   He was the Region XIII Coach of the Year five times and District Coach of the Year Six times. He won his 200^th career victory at NDSCS during the 2024 season. 

In 2024 Pitcher Grace Folkema led the Nation in Strikeouts and broke the Nations All Time record for strikeouts, she finished with 408. In 2023 and 24 seasons, his pitcher Katelyn Strauss, led the Nation in Strikeouts. Previously, Syd Schott led the Nation in 2021 and Brooke Harder had led the Nation in Strikeouts and Wins in 2018.

Prior to NDSCS, Oehlke spent one season as a pitching coach at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN.  There his pitcher set school records and was the Conference leader in strikeouts as well as being named First Team All-MIAC.

Oehlke also spent four seasons at Kindred, ND, High School and was the first ever coach at the school.  He finished with a 60-24 record, winning State in 2014 and finishing third twice.  He was the East Region and the ND State Coach of the Year in 2015.  He coached seven All-State selections and 12 All-Region selections. 

Oehlke was also a coach on the Minnesota Computers Men’s 23U team that won the North American World Series over Waseda University of Japan in 2014.  He has been involved in Men’s Fastpitch at the local, State and National level for over 30 years.  He was named President of the North American Fastpitch Association beginning in 2018.  He also serves on the ND High School All Star game board.